January 23, 2012

2. Gingrich — who looks tired and badly made up — is asked about electability. He says "a solid conservative... who has the courage to stand up to the Washington establishment" is exactly what the American people want.

3. Gingrich will have a website responding to the "at least 4 things" Romney just said that are false.

4. Santorum gives a great answer to the question why he lost his Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

5. Romney isn't going to apologize for his success or for free enterprise, and he's critical of Gingrich for picking up the "weapons of the left," attacking capitalism.

6. Romney and Gingrich are given free rein to go back and forth against each other, with Romney accusing Gingrich of "influence peddling" and Gingrich seeming quite angry and defensive.

7. Gingrich opines that Castro will not "meet his Maker," because he's going to Hell. I suddenly figured out what's likeable about Gingrich: his unlikeability.

8. From my son John's live-blog: "Brian Williams asks Gingrich a ridiculous question: whether he'll shift in his views on foreign policy in order to get Ron Paul's endorsement. Williams seems like he isn't even trying to do a good job of moderating the debate." Ha ha.

I am not a Mitt fan now but for Romney, a successful American businessman, having to defend being successful, is in my view anti American at its core and a very large part of what is wrong with this nation today.

OT food for thought re Americans having to apologize for their success.

I was watching the playoff games yesterday and wondered if the Harbaugh brothers, who are surely part of the greedy 1% [snark alert], were viewed by the 99% as ones who had been given an unfair head start in life.

In fact, almost of the game particpants yesterday are now part of the greedy 1%. And they epitomize the beauty of the American capitalist system.

The Feds didn't force anything. I think you are wrong there, Fen. But the federal government allowed the bad loans with an implicit promise to buy up those loans in bundles and an actual buying up for years.

I went to my TV feed and looked, and found none. So I assumed it was a blogging mistake. But the blog-comments went on. So I Googled it and found it was supposed to be on NBC. My NBC feed (via Comcast) says it's showing "Fear Factor", but it is, in fact, showing a GOP debate.

The Feds didn't force anything. I think you are wrong there, Fen. But the federal government allowed the bad loans with an implicit promise to buy up those loans in bundles and an actual buying up for years.

Well, if they disn't technically force anyone to make a particular loan, the Feds certainly "encouraged" the banks to make plenty of mortgage loans to underqualified borrowers, using their considerable regulatory power.

Seven: The Feds didn't force anything. I think you are wrong there, Fen.

Do x or be punished with y. Its not "force" I guess:

"At President Clinton’s direction, no fewer than 10 federal agencies issued a chilling ultimatum to banks and mortgage lenders to ease credit for lower-income minorities or face investigations for lending discrimination and suffer the related adverse publicity. They also were threatened with denial of access to the all-important secondary mortgage market and stiff fines, along with other penalties"

ie. give the loans or be tarred as racists and boxed out of markets, then watch as your competition runs you out of business. But yes, its not "forced", its not like they held a gun to their head.

I don't care for Romney or Gingrich. Each have serious debilitating baggage. The primary process has turned into a circular firing squad, maybe as it should be, but the problem is the leftards within and without the media have systematically deconstructed all alternatives.

Mark O's metaphor is so right on. Flings with Palin, Bachmann, and Cain have left all these conservatives longing for an authentic candidate boyfriends heartbroken. So, now it's back to an old flame from a long time ago. He was pretty bad then -- so many people you knew hated him -- but you just refuse to give up in your quest for authenticity.

So it's bad to the Washington outsider who has been a central part of Washington since people who are now college graduates were not even born.

Good luck to you! I hope you find what you are looking for. But remember: life is short.

Yeah, but the "sin" is what it means to be a gay person. In my book, calling people "intrinsically disordered" means you hate them. Again, it's shocking seeing all of you supporting Christian anti-gay bigotry.

Revenant said...I'm starting to get eye strain from rolling my eyes every time Gingrich classifies himself as NOT part of the Washington establishment.

Ironically, for all the flack he catches about being the "establishment candidate", Mitt Romney is the only actual Washington outsider left in the race.

==================I think besides Romney, Ron Paul is a legitimate outsider. He has been a long term Congressman who arrived as a rebel, but unlike the likes of Gingrich, McCain - never was co-opted by the power brokers.Romney is a bona fide outsider who would govern like the usual good competent governor - vs being owned by K Street and Capital Hill - which is what would happen or actually happens when you have a Senator or a former House member.

FNMA and FHLMC were good institutions until a strange thing happened in 1998 when they morphed into a disastrous new role for themselves.

They always combined the approved mortgage standards of the industry to create a relatively safe market for investors in mortgages.

In 1998 a decision was made to ue them and their good reputation to create 100%, or effectively more %, loan to value loans with no mortgage insurance premiums That cornered the hmoe loan market and all of its spin off fees and bonuses.

This was intentionally done to draw back some of the world held dollars here by creating a building boom here. If they had stopped by 2004, it may not have hurt as bad.

But the Dems let the boom and the 30% rise in prices a year bubble to continue to line their pockets and wrecked the whole system.

Incidentally, Gingrich had no influence to left to peddle after he resigned from the House in 1999.

Pbandjfellowrepublican... Close to all of them. There were still old time loans where smart people wanted to borrow as little as possible. But as the prices went up it became a casino where All In Bets were the usual strategy.

Certain behaviors are intrinsically disordered and self-destructive. Homosexuality is regarded no differently in this than alcoholism; the only difference is that alcoholics aren't currently demanding societal approval of their particular behavior.

(Don't know why I bother posting this; it's wasted energy. Andy R. is exactly like Andrew Sullivan in that his position on every issue is 100% predictable, based upon which side of the issue better advances the cause of normalizing homosexuality.)

"To non-political junkies, these four guys look like a weenie, a wimp, a weasel, and a wacko."-source: National Review(!) blogger.

That's a better insult than I came up for them. The funny thing is that I'm not sure which label goes with which candidate because they are all so bad. I'm assuming Paul is the wacko, but what about the rest? Can someone fill me in?

Certain behaviors are intrinsically disordered and self-destructive. Homosexuality is regarded no differently in this than alcoholism; the only difference is that alcoholics aren't currently demanding societal approval of their particular behavior.

This is the reasoning from someone saying that Catholics don't hate the gays? Can someone come up with anything better? As a gesture of good faith, I'm going to assume someone can come up with a better argument than this.

A group of hoity-toity nerds once broke away from a reality site and a gossip reality blog mentioned By being a private site you may as well be in a dark room mastubating because you sure aren't (pro)creating.

Incidentally, Gingrich had no influence to left to peddle after he resigned from the House in 1999.

And yet somehow Newt started his lucrative career as Freddie Mac's consulting "historian" in 2001. For another nine years Gingrich put a conservative veneer of respectability on the organization the Wall Street Journal sounded the alarm about almost weekly and which was one of the most destructive failures in government in the past twenty years.

PB - He's a good guy, welcoming to all, and interested in promoting a good/friendly environment to all who are interested. He wisely chooses to stay away from places where he doesn't feel that's the case. I respect that and to each one's own.

It sounds like he's doing what's best for him. I think we can respect the privacy he wants over there and keep this thread confined to the more raucous issue put forward in the blog entry.

Gingrich opines that Castro will not "meet his Maker," because he's going to Hell. I suddenly figured out what's likeable about Gingrich: his unlikeability.

I thought it was a good example of your earlier statement, when he was nobody in the race, that you were 'impressed he listened to the question.' I thought it was rather droll. I don't know about him being terribly made up. I thought he looked like the fellow at the wake about whom you might say, 'He looks just like himself.'

Newt: "I want to state unequivocally for every person watching tonight, I have never once changed my position because of any kind of payment, because the truth is I was a national figure who was doing just fine doing a whole variety of things including writing bestselling books, making speeches, and the fact is I only chose to work with people whose values I shared, and having people have a chance to buy a house is a value I believe still is important in America."

That was from the debate just over a month ago. “The truth is. . .” “The fact is. . .” What’s worse? That he took $30,000 per month to be their historian or that he shares Freddie Mac’s values?

I think Neut's done anyway, TG. If not done, than at least Newtralized. There are cultural differences from state to state, as Ron Paul loves to remind everyone, and the reddest of red meat can be thrown out a lot easier in South Carolina than just about anywhere else.

Of course, other states might allow Neut to push the balance back over to red-meat land a bit. But in Florida, those geezers don't need anyone upsetting their blood pressure any more than necessary.

From the one clip I've seen so far (and what I've read), Neut did a very skilled job of reading that audience and toning it down appropriately.

As for Romney, he's suffered from a long career of expecting others to serve and listen to him without ever having to extend the same courtesy back to them in return.

It's deadly toxic.

But it's the only medicine the right has for their materialistic corporatist wing.

This is Plastic Man's moment, no doubt. If any time demanded someone whose materialism, shamelessness and lack of scruples or respect for others were equally sky-high, now would be that time.

It's a total eclipse of American morality and principles, and the question is whether we wait for the moon to pass and daylight to return, or go for the glow-in-the-dark bastard from Bain before the sun comes up.

What do you fear about Obama, Ski Mask? Because you certainly can't seem to get it through your thick and arrogant skull that candidates who pass off the top spot for three contests in a row signal a party undergoing a major schism and decline.

But keep up the bravado, jerky. Just like Romney. Never admit anything. Go down proudly with that sinking ship and blame the iceberg.

Heard a cou­ple days ago the favorite son stop Newt plan ie every remaining Rep pri­mary they put the most pop­u­lar Rep state politi­cian in each state on the bal­lot, so said patriot ;) siphons off votes from gin­grich, ensur­ing a bro­kered con­ven­tion at the very least …

ie party elders/​hierarchy/​establishment are scared shit­less! of Newton Leroy getting the nomination. :D

I wonder what others thought about the exchange between Gingrich and Ron Paul. It seemed as if something happened between them. They were talking about where they agree, and it seems they cut some deal on finances.

I think it took a lot out of Newt, but Ron Paul seemed as even keeled as ever. In fact, he seemed quite a bit relaxed, and not as strident, as if he finally got somewhere.

My guess is something happened there, and Newt absorbed a whole other paradigm in a few hours, and it drained the man.

The reason the Republicans are screwed is because of the attitudes of elitist scumbags, like Seven Machos, for instance.

Notice how he believes it's his job to tell me what I think.

Anyway, it looks like it's safe to say that the relevant discussion's been had. And I'm glad you got something out of it, too, TG. It's good to know that some of you can listen, think and respond without bottling up the insane pressure of an attitude so defensive that it gives away everything about what you're concerned about, and nothing about why or what can be done about it.

I almost feel sorry for Myth Romney. He is the actual un-electable one. But he cannot see past his carefully laid plans to coast to the open Obama seat in 2012.____________

Good one. I like it. "Myth" Romney. And appropriate too.

His sure-fire electability is a myth, together with mixtures of delusion and arrogant presumption.

Even after trashing his opponents, the Romney team expects the supporters of those other candidates to reward him by simply fall in line and rallying to him if he gets the nomination by being the last man standing.

It began with the Romney camp snarking and sniggering and trashing Sarah Palin on the sly. Then, when Obama was on the ropes, knees wobbling, and very near to going down, Romney saves him by turning his fire on fellow Republicans instead, taking the heat off of Obama. Romney started attacking then-frontrunner Perry from the left over accurately calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme. Next, you can bet that it was the Romney camp who was behind spreading the dirt on Herman Cain. And then we come to Newt.

And Romney expects that we are going to rally to him out of some sense of obligation if he gets the nomination. As if he is entitled to it. Ha. A double ha since many of his own supporters have vowed to not support Newt if he gets the nomination.

What's up with the time stamps on these comments (at least the "earlier-ish" ones)? Quite disconcerting, really. Or am I the only who noticed/is seeing the oddity? [Granted, I stopped reading probably a quarter-whatever the way through: but it was indeed because I found that quirk too distracting.]

It began with the Romney camp snarking and sniggering and trashing Sarah Palin on the sly. Then, when Obama was on the ropes, knees wobbling, and very near to going down, Romney saves him by turning his fire on fellow Republicans instead, taking the heat off of Obama. Romney started attacking then-frontrunner Perry from the left over accurately calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme. Next, you can bet that it was the Romney camp who was behind spreading the dirt on Herman Cain.

Willard knocked the ball out of the park again! I declare Willard the winner.

I think we should also thank Willard for his generous gifts to the Mormon Cult. Because of Willard, we can be sure that the process of sending our ancestors to Mormon heaven to be servants will continue as will the regular visits of Mormons to our neighborhoods to spread the word.

Instead of linking to Mother Jones about topics you don't understand, you may want to do some reading on the topic to cure your ignorance.

Note: I will amend my comments to say that "Affordable Housing" policies pushed by Democrats caused the housing crisis - Fannie & Freddy were simply the tools they used.

Here are some links to help you cure your ignorance.

1. HUD stuck with an outdated policy that allowed Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to count billions of dollars they invested in subprime loans as a public good.

2. In 2000, Cuomo required a quantum leap in the number of affordable, low-to-moderate-income loans that the two mortgage banks—known collectively as Government Sponsored Enterprises—would have to buy.

3. F&F became the largest buyers of subprime and Alt-A mortgages between 2004 and 2007, with total GSE exposure eventually exceeding $1 trillion.

4. Democratic lawmakers demanded that the company buy more loans that had been made to low-income and minority homebuyers. (“I’m not worried about Fannie and Freddie’s health, I’m worried that they won’t do enough to help out the economy,” the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, said at the time.

key to Mitt winning: bring the fight to Obama. Can you make an angry, outraged attack on Obama? Can you attack Obama like you attack Republicans?

The vibe I get from you is that you are nice-nice until it appears that you might not get what you want. Then and only then do you attack and show your mean side. So this makes you seem like a big phony. I think, "that's the fucker who put his dog on top of the car."

Right now, you only get angry when you might be unemployed. What about the other unemployed? What about ordinary Americans? Get angry for us. Fight for us.

When you say Obama is a "nice guy" who is "in over his head," all I hear is smug, and possibly racist, superiority. I just want to kneecap you and take your wallet so you can pat me on the head and tell me how underprivileged I am.

Obama is your opponent. Take him seriously and fight him. And if you can't do that, get the fuck off the stage.

key to Newt winning: hire some joke writers. Be a happy warrior. Every photo I see of you, you look like the fucking Grinch, or Scrooge on a bad day. Work on the funny.

My sincere pity goes out to American GOP supporters. Their nominees for 2012 are one of the worst slates in the party's history. High unemployment should make this the Republicans' election by default, but Barack Obama looks set to do to the GOP what Reagan did to Democrats in 1984. The contrast is stark: Obama looks positive, relaxed & energized - the Republican nominees look surly, frantic & burned-out, & their national convention is still months away.

Willard M. Romney is the only candidate who does not come across as fueled by pure spite, which might at least make victory a viable goal - & the bulk of his own party has been strenuously trying to keep him from winning from Day One. Thus the surreal spectacle of fundamentalists throwing their support behind a serial adulterer whose previous stint in national politics ended in more than 80 counts of ehics violations. Then the surrealism intensifies as a pro-Gingrich group puts out an hour long anti-Romney screed that would be called Marxist (or perhaps Stlainist?) if it had come from the Democrats.

Co-opting & injecting Astroturf steroids into Ron Paul's Tea Party would've been a coup for the RNC ... if they'd waited until 2009 or 2011 to do it. The desperate need to "make healthcare into Obama's Waterloo" made them catastrophically mistime what should have been an epic right-wing victory in the same league as Viguerie, Coors, Falwell & Co.'s coalescing around Ronald Reagan in 1979. Not only did it fail to stop the passage of the ACA, but there is now (predictably) a Tea Party candidate for POTUS, & that trend will become stronger if the Republicans don't nominate "their" chosen nominee. The more truly grassroots it grows, the more it goes rogue & becomes a threat instead of an asset. Its influence on both the GOP's policy & its degree of basic governmental aptitude has been horrific: the House elected in 2010 was functionally unable to either swear in its members or pass its first bill, & even some conservatives think that John Boehner is in the running for Worst Speaker Ever. None dare attempt (if any know how) to wipe the mystical bar-code from the forehead of the Tea-Party Golem so it can somehow become sympatico with the Power Elite in-crowd that G.W. Bush laughingly (& honestly) referred to as "my base." Worse, their "Vote Against ALL Incumbents" subculture is alive & well (as a cursory skimming of any mainstream website's comment thread will confirm) ... & they are far more numerous in Red than in Blue states.

When Rick Santorum is seriously proposed as the next potential POTUS (be it ever so briefly) you know your party is going Full Emo via radical self-harm.